The Spice Cabinet

"A portal has just opened in The Brewery, leading to this place, #the-spice-cabinet! This place doesn't contain any actual cinnamon or pepper, but if things in your life are dull, tarnished, and out of shape like a rusty fork, there is no better place to go than this topsy-turvy room. See, it completely changes form every two weeks days. One day, it might be untouched wilderness, and the next, it's bustling city. There's no room to get bored here!

Inhabited by a strange, mysterious, and zesty lass named Neverest, this room really does prove that variety is the spice of life."

-Channel Description, HTCRP

The Spice Cabinet is an RP Location that opened to the public on 7/12/18, when Neverest came out of a portal in the Brewery. It is hosted by SkaterCheese.

The room is to this day rather mysterious. It's unknown as to whether the room has a "true form," or if it does, what it looks like. It can be accessed through a few portals: one in the bathroom cabinet in The Brewery, one through an actual spice cabinet in The Brewery, and one from upstairs.

MORE COMING SOON

Characteristics of the Room

 * There are no sentient beings in there other than Neverest and visitors. True people/books/objects never seem to come with the shifts, only animals which behave in very simplistic ways.
 * Objects from the room can be taken out. Items taken out of the room do not generally change when the Spice Room changes.
 * There is a clear forcefield surrounding the room. The room doesn't seem to want people to go beyond its limits, so anyone who tries to will be forcibly bounced back. For example, if someone tried to leave the Paprika Park and go to the suburbs beyond, they would be bounced back.
 * People can move freely between the Spice Cabinet and other rooms, even during shifts.

The Keeper of the Cabinet
The sole inhabitant of the room is Neverest. She's an odd lass who likes to change her costumes to match whatever is going on in the room. She claims that she's seen many Spice shifts and that she's fought monsters in there, but perhaps that's just her imagination, as she seems to have one of those.

She claims to be able to control the Spice Cabinet's shifts, but she's very evasive about how or anything. It's not really clear what her relationship to it is.

Previous Shifts
Descriptions for the previous shifts can be seen in the pins for The Spice Cabinet. They will be copied here soon:
 * 1) #big-win-arcade (July 12-26, 2018)
 * 2) #paprika-park (July 26-August 9, 2018)
 * 3) #mall-or-nothing (August 9-23, 2018)
 * 4) #you!-on-the-zoo (August 23-September 6, 2018)
 * 5) #lamedromat (September 6-20, 2018)
 * 6) #spice-train (September 20-October 4, 2018)
 * 7) #pumpkin-spice-patch (October 4-18, 2018)
 * 8) #mansion-spice (October 18-31, 2018)
 * 9) #the-range (November 4-22, 2018)
 * 10) #badlands (November 22-December 9, 2019)
 * 11) #winter-woods (December 9, 2018-January 10, 2019)
 * 12) #land-of-flowers (January 10-January 25, 2019)
 * 13) #aquarium-of-adventure (January 25-present, 2019)

Big Win Arcade
“Welcome to the big win arcade, your one-place destination for games, games, games! Whether you prefer sitting back with a slice of pizza, showing your skill at ski ball, or demolishing your friends in the ball pit, there’s something for everybody here. There are old favorite arcade games like Mario, Donkey Kong, and Megaman, which you can play to win tickets. Those can be redeemed at the Big-Win Prize Counter for all manner of things...

Why’d the room take on this form? No idea, but at least it’s not so much second-rate as it is eight-bit. Not too shabby here, if you like that sort of thing. Game on!”

Paprika Park
Welcome to the Paprika Park. It’s a very quaint and quiet little park. There are picnic tables around to sit at. If you’d like to get back in touch with your inner child, try the playground equipment, which includes slides, swings, monkey bars, and other staples of childhood fun. There’s also a tennis court, pull-up bar, and track to work off any excess blubber. Make sure you don’t forget to hydrate at one of the park water fountains if you exercise, though! There are a bunch of those situated around a little building at the center of the park which contains showers and bathrooms. What can I say? Children can be way too messy to sit in the family minivan after playing. 😔 The park staff, wherever they disappeared to, must be very considerate of moms and children alike.

There are also some nice trees around. Sleep against ‘em, climb ‘em, cut ‘em down and make a house… do what you like. Just, whatever you do, don’t try to go beyond the park’s gates. A magical force will always throw someone back into the park’s gates if they try to leave. Isn’t that strange? I guess the room doesn’t want for you to go beyond its limits…

But suburbs, schmuburbs. It’s a park, and that’s epic. (Might someone say, epark?) So park yourselves in the-spice-cabinet for a nice time.

Mall Or Nothing
Ever seen 6teen? In that show, they’re a bunch of teenagers, and they hang out in a big ol’ mall. They get into far wackier shenanigans than any teen in real life does… and now, you can, too! This averagely-sized yet well-decorated mall has everything you’d expect a mall to have: a big food court with all your favorite fast food brands, a little toy store, a small game shop, various shops, plenty of places to loiter, and even a fursuit store! The mall even has a lovely mascot. Wow, this place has a lot of fun stuff. It’s the perfect place to live out the teenage dream, because life is sweet!

You! On the Zoo
Are you an animal-lover, lover of animals? Then this place is perfect for you. Oh my! From lions to tigers to bears, all kinds of animals are on display for your viewing pleasure. In fact, there isn't a zookeeper in sight, so you can even touch the animals, if you like! Be warned that some creatures are more aggressive than others, though. The zoo doesn't seem to have a lawyer team to pay your medical fees if you’re injured, so you're on your own. Strangely enough, food for the animals seems to appear spontaneously despite this. In any case, be sure to pick up some souvenirs of your favorite animals at the zoo gift shop on your way out!

Lamedromat
There’s a constant whirring in the backdrop at the laundromat… or, perhaps more accurately put, the lamedromat! It’s a pretty simple, smallish room with smooth white tile that’s always lit with a sterile, cold light, like that in a twenty four-hour store. There’s an ironing board and dry-cleaning section, but mostly it’s just a bunch of wall-to-wall washing machine-dryer combos.

What are you supposed to do with this place? Wash your clothes here, maybe? Drown your enemies? Okay, guys, this is the lamest shift yet, I can't believe this.

Spice Train
Choo choo! There’s a rustic, quiet, almost nostalgic feeling to this old-timey train, the Spice Train. That’s probably because it is made almost entirely out of wood. There are four cars on it: a sweltering locomotive (LOC), where a steam engine and some tools are housed; a transporting wagon (TRW) with comfortable seating, tables, and all manner of card games, board games, and wine; a largely featureless boxcar (BOX) which contains the portal, some large windows, and some hay; and a caboose (CAB), containing some cots and a ladder to the roof (ROO).

It’s zipping through a variety of different environments, but as per usual, you can’t step off of it without getting thrown painfully back on by an invisible forcefield of some sort. Unfortunate, really! Many of these places look like the things of half-remembered dreams, so it’d be worth exploring. Oh well...

(You start in BOX when you drop in here. It’s preferred that you note what room you’re in using the three-letter acronym, Oasis-style.)

Pumpkin Spice Patch
Come one, come all, to the Pumpkin Spice Patch. Pumpkins stretch almost as far as the eye can see: pumpkins as small as baseballs and as big as cars, plus everything in between! In the middle of the patch, there’s a carving table, equipped with various sharp objects and art supplies. It’s bordered by a dense cornfield which throws you backwards if you delve too deeply into it. It seems like a normal enough pumpkin patch for the most part. It even has a nice little pile of hay for a photo op. Convenient and good for the holidays!

The only thing off of it is how uneasy it feels sometimes. Sometimes it feels like you’re being watched… Incidentally, Neverest is filled with a deep sense of dread. Is it possible that there’s some violent presence here, to make up for so many weeks of calm?

Mansion Spice
You have arrived at a grand entry hallway, fit for the highest of ladies and gentlemen. This is the entrance to le Mansión Spicé, where the seats are as uncomfortable and elegant-looking as ornate masquerade ball gowns. It’s a Victorian-style house, with long, lavishly-decorated hallways leading to all manner of rooms: a dining room, some bedrooms, a dusty library, and more. There are even some secret rooms to discover! The dusty corners are perfect places to hide cobwebs, spiders, and other creepy intruders, so watch out. This place is reminiscent of murder dinner parties and deaths under mysterious circumstances, so one can never be too careful...

Still, with two stories and a load of mystery, there are plenty of stories to be told here, so try to enjoy your stay.

The Range
Welcome to the Range! The Spice Cabinet’s back to being incredibly huge; this grassland is massive and filled with adventure! At its heart is a SMALL TOWN with a sign proclaiming its name as Dirtwater; it houses a saloon, a hotel, a liquor shop, a clothing shop, and even a prison. Following true Western form, there’s adventure everywhere you look beyond the town, too! There’s a small, tranquil LAKE which is said to be inhabited by some choice creatures, a RANCH with some horses and cows in it, and a CANYON overlooking a rocky area. Be careful, or you might fall in, and meet a grisly doom among the pointy rocks below! Unless there’s a force field there, in which case, L. Finally, there’s a CAVE, where, ahem, certain animals are said to come out at night.

There’s an adventurous breeze passing through here. It’s like the wind itself is beckoning you forward towards a new beginning. There’s enough room for you and yer dreams both, and ev’ryone else, at the range!

Badlands
Welcome to the Badlands. Did you know that “badland” is a synonym for desert? Because I sure didn't. This place is filled with all of the things you love the most about deserts: sand! And rocks! And some cactuses, but not many. But in addition, secrets lie below the desert sands… in the form of an unparalleled trove of dinosaur bones, among other surprises. Any archeologist, prospector, or dedicated explorer can find adventure right around the corner.

In true desert form, temperatures soar to great heights during the day, even reaching 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit) at times! Meanwhile, at night, it can dip to below freezing.

At 9am EST daytime begins; at 9pm EST it’s nighttime. Use a timezone converter on your search browser of choice if you aren't certain.

Winter Woods
Snow carpets the ground, so you’re followed by deep footprints as you stroll about this unfamiliar landscape. Fir trees, some as tall as a house, surround the forest clearing that the portal opens up in. They’re a deep green color with snow on the tops of them. This world is enshrouded in constant night; your way is lit up by the moon, its reflection off the ice, and the green Northern Lights that flash overhead continuously, sometimes less faintly than others.

There are all manner of creatures here, though they’re either asleep or more scared of you than you are of them. Except for moose, who might attack you on sight. That’d be unfortunate, as the snow combined with the dense trees makes for a place where sound doesn’t carry far, so if you got attacked, there’s a solid chance that nobody would hear your screams. You'd only be found later, with your fluids staining the perfect snow... That's unnecessarily morbid, though! This place is perfect for hiding places for things other than crimes, too. You could play a mean game of snow fort capture-the-flag here, or even have a nice snowball fight. It could be a cool experience, you could say.

Heck, if you think snow’s sno good, try hitting the frozen ice lake! It’s pretty big and thickly encased. with only one hole in it. so if you happen to have some ice skates or a fishing rod on hand, you could have a pretty ice time.

You shiver.

It’s certainly winter, alright. If you love winter, you wood rather have it no other way. Either way, try to enjoy your time in #winter-woods.

Land of Flowers
The unrelenting blizzards have blown the winter away to give way to this beautiful, wide-open grassland, the #land-of-flowers. There are thousands upon thousands of flowers here, in all the colors you can imagine and then some. Their combined aromatic fragrance wafts towards the entrance and in all directions by a periodic little breeze. If you're allergic to flowers, this is a total nightmare, and if you're anyone else, this is heaven on Earth, and perfect for relaxation. Neverest is the only one who glances around the place with so much wariness that she’s like a piece of prey in a land of predators. I'm tired. I need to sleep.

Aquarium of Adventure
Fish tanks of all sizes and shapes fill this large building, the #aquarium-of-adventure! There are two primary sections in this aquarium: the lobby and the main part. The entrance area is the small part where the portal opens up; it’s got tasteful furniture, a nice carpet, and wall-to-wall fish tanks filled with little fish like you’d see at a pet store. There’s a tiny souvenir shop there, too.

The much larger part of this place is a place with no lights beyond those of the massive, towering tanks all around! From fresh to brackish to salt to even polar waters, from sharks to sunfish to snappers, from seaweed to kelp, there aren’t a lot of aquatic ecosystems that aren’t represented here. The distant wall is kept very cold to accommodate the polar-originated species, but the entire aquarium is notably chilly.

Whether you spend time swimming with dolphins or swimmin’ with the fishes, there are plenty of opportunities for both fun and fright here. If nothing else, it’s tranquil and a great place for a nap.

Process for Recommending Shifts
Several users have recommended Spice Cabinet shifts which are coming soon; the mall setting was even a collaborative effort between Rob and SkaterCheese. All you need to do is DM SkaterCheese your idea and if you want it to be the next shift (for character lore reasons). It's quite simple!